"Balance" letter about injecting in public

Like most of us that have replied, I do too inject in public and I am discreet about it because quite frankly, I'm not interested in drawing attention to myself with it. If I did, I'm pretty sure people would find that more annoying. It's part of my life; if they don't like it, that's their problem.

The people who you're eating with should know better in the first place anyway.

I have been diabetic for 37 years and have always injected in public, It was a lot more difficult years ago when using the old style syringe and stainless steel needles but it is a necessity of life,much easier now with pens etc..In all the years i have injected in public I have never been questioned or challenged about it
The nurse who made the comments should be ashamed of herself

Thought I may as well stick my £0.02 worth in - my first post. I have had diabetes for just over 42 years and rarely taken my insulin in public. In general, I always disappeared into the toilets as to be honest I didn't/don't have the self confidence to appear "shooting up" in full view of others. Maybe it was my upbringing but injecting in public is a source of embarassment to me. Saying that, when I have had to, I have injected in public but tried to hide the fact rather than advertise it - finding a quiet spot at events such as international cricket matches for example.

I am now on an insulin pump - for the last two weeks - and look forward to being able to simply dial in my bolus in public - no insulin pens or needles!

I think that if I had met others with diabetes years ago, my embarassment about injecting in public would not have been so acute. As it is, the FIRST time I spoke to anyone with diabetes since my diagnosis in 1967 was a couple of months ago at my DAFNE course. As well as learning the DAFNE principles, the other spin off was that I could compare attitudes to a common set of problems and events with others - so that was a good thing!

The reason injecting in public has never bothered me is that when diagnosed as a young child ,and although none of my family or in fact anyone i knew had any idea about diabetes , my mother went to my school and literally everyone was informed.
In those days carb counting was the norm 1cp as it known as now was called a line and insulin and carb intake was a lot stricter on the diet and was time specific. the insulin then was not as good as it is now and had to be taken at specific times folllowed by carbs half an hour later,this was also catered for in my school day. The head cook used to calculate the carbs i needed for each lunchtime ,LOL the only thing i really missed out on was the deliciuos puddings. In those days I had to eat 270grams of carbs a day 27 lines or now 27 cp's.spaced out over 6 times a day
I have never been embarassed about injecting in public or about my diabetes, In fact in all my life i have never seen anyone shooting up drugs but i have seen other people taking insulin in allsorts of places such as airports and restaurants.
Dafne and the new insulins has opened up a new world to me in regard to if or when i eat and is not such a strict regime.
Dafne has improved my life and given me much more understanding of how to manage my blood sugars .
I think diabetes can be inconvenient at times but never an embaressment

Im not for brandishing a needle around the room but discreetly done under the table would mean it would only be the nosey or the other diabetics in the room that may be left to comment.
Im sure anyone afraid of needles would not want to look anyway (not that you can see them their so small).

If it was to measure your sugar levels on the other hand which may require pricker, blood and tissues then i may be a bit more sympathetic to the quibbler!

Hi all

Have any of you seen the latest issue of Balance? The nurse has written in again. What do you all think of her letter?

Hello,

This letter really has stirred up a hornets nest and I have to say I'm quite offended by this nurses attitude. I'd like to see her ask me to go to the toilet just to do my needle. If it offended her so much, she could go and wait in the toilet until after I'd done my needle ;o)

With the number of diabetics being diagnosed going up at an alarming rate, this nurse will find herself in the minority in the not too distant future. Anyway, on a lighter note, this leads me to a true anecdote passed onto me by a work colleague recently.

He was out for a meal with 5 other people, including one of our mutual friends who is diabetic. After the meal, our mutual friend made a big swan song about his diabetes and proceeded to do his blood sugar and take his insulin. Imagine his embarressment when 4 of the other diners at the same table then took out their BG testing kits and pens to do their needles. Thought this was a priceless reversal of the norm as my friend who told me this was the only non-diabetic at the table!

And remember people, laughter is the best form of medicine, unless you're diabetic......then it's insulin.

Hi. This is my first post here (I am a recent DAFNE graduate in Eire) but had to say that, firstly, I am dismayed at the reaction of that nurse who thinks taking your medication is something to be ashamed of. I do, however, understand that some people are highly sensitive to needles (I have a few friends who have a mortal fear of them!).

As with most people on this post, I would have started off injecting in the bathroom but, no matter what people say, I seriously doubt you can compare the hygeine of injecting in a toilet to doing it discreetly at a table in the restaurant. I do now inject discretely under the table, and in general people don't notice. Even in work, where I have been at a desk in an open plan office for the past 2 years, some people sitting nearby only realised I was diabetic this month, as I was going on the DAFNE course - despite the fact that I inject at lunchtime at my desk almost every day!

It is possible to inject without displaying it to the whole world. At business meetings, I find I don't inject (either running to the dreaded toilet or planning meetings outside of eating times) - mostly to do with not wanting to draw attention to such a personal topic in a business environment. But in general I would not have a problem with discretely injecting - and doing BG tests - in public, provided the person I'm with knows about my diabetes and is comfortable with it.

I think this is discrimination. Why does she expect us to hide our disability and go to a dirty toilet to inject? If a blind person was eating in a restaurant, would she expect them to leave their white stick and guide dog at home so they did not offend anyone? Would she expect an asthmatic to take their inhaler in a toilet? Needles today are so small and discreet, if anyone noticed me injecting I would want to know why they were staring so rudely. If someone has a visible disability, everyone knows it is rude to stare. So isn't it rude to stare at a diabetic injecting themselves?

I think that this topic is getting blown up out of all proportion and simply centres on personal feelings - and we are all entitled to those! Me - I'm a shy person who, prior to using an insulin pump, (a month ago now), preferred not to inject in public for 42 years but did so when I had to. That isn't right or wrong - it's me. The key phrase here being "I'm a shy person". On the other side of the fence - someone observing another who is not a shy person, injecting in public - they may approve, disapprove, like or dislike to see it - it's just them, we should not judge, just accept that this is the way they are. However, it is right to have the debate but not to judge others - it's a personal thing as I said, whether you can understand the feelings of others is another matter.